Consumers seeking better health solution products

America’s getting healthy again.

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Americans were certainly aspiring toward better health in 2016, as evidenced by the amount of growth associated with such meal-replacement solutions as Slim Fast, Premier Protein, Clif Bar, Quest Bar and Carnation Breakfast Essentials. Sales represented by Slim Fast, Premier Protein and Carnation Breakfast Essentials are all part of the ready-to-drink nutritional shake category, which generated $3.2 billion in sales on 12.9% growth for the 52 weeks ended Oct. 30, according to IRI across total U.S. multi-outlets. And meal-replacement bars represented by such brands as Clif and Quest as a category took in another $2.4 billion in sales on 4.6% growth.

Another brand that brought significant incremental dollars to retail pharmacy operations was GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Nicorette smoking-cessation brand. Americans spent $970 million on smoking-cessation products in that timeframe, representing a 6.1% lift in sales.

Quincy Bioscience’s Prevagen, a memory-boosting supplement, is one example of how more Americans are becoming more interested in brain health solutions. According to an IRI and Kline Group white paper on the subject published earlier this year, supplements targeting brain health generated $389 million in 2015, up 8%. “White space opportunity clearly exists in brain health,” IRI noted. “[This category] will be increasingly well received by consumers across generations.”

Beyond aspirational lifestyle solutions in OTC aisles, switch also continues to contribute to the bottom line. For example, GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Flonase continues to draw a significant allergy following. Along with Flonase, Chattem’s Nasacort, McNeil Consumer’s Rhinocort and Bayer’s Clarispray all contributed to 15.4% growth of the nasal spray category which collectively generated $1.1 billion in revenue.